


The Song Teller's Journey

by kylansfirca



Category: The Dark Crystal (1982), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: F/M, Has some spoilers from the book series, takes place after episode 10
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-11-26 10:38:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20928854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kylansfirca/pseuds/kylansfirca
Summary: Kylan is tasked by Mother Aughra to retrieve the famous firca used by Gyr the Song Teller from the caves of Grot. He is joined by Naia, Brea, and a mysterious Grottan named Amri. Will Kylan be able to overcome his self-doubt and find the key to fighting the Darkness?





	1. Chapter 1

Nightfall started to drift over the site of the battle that the gelflings endured only hours before. The site where the seven clans–together for the first time in many trine—now celebrated their small victory over the Skeksis. Spritons drinking with Stonewoods, Grottans sharing stories of their lives in the caves with the Vaprans, Sifans telling colorful tales of their adventures on the seas to the Drenchens, even the sand-dwelling Dousans were engaged in lively conversations with other clans.

Kylan sat away from hustle and bustle of the celebration, taking it all in as he spread out his scroll on the flat ground in front of him. It had been a while since he had time to dream-etch his journey with the resistance. No matter how much he longed to join in with everyone else, he knew the scene in front of him was worth remembering for trines to come.

He thought about the ceremony for the fallen All-Maudra, the lighting of the seven fires, the death of The Hunter, and the retreat of the Skeksis. If the words in front of him weren’t etched from his own memories, he would never believe that these events really happened, much less that he would be there to witness them.

Before he ran away from Sami Thicket, Kylan never saw himself as any worth to his clan or himself. He couldn’t even throw a_ bola_ properly. It was Naia and his other friends that showed him that he was worth much more than he could ever imagine. They showed him that he was “Wise Kylan” and that his song telling (and broth making skills) could help people.

“Kylan!”

The Spriton jumped up and fell backward, hitting the back of his head onto the ground.

“Oh, Kylan, I’m sorry!”

Kylan opened his eyes and saw Brea looking over him with guilty amber eyes.

“Brea, we really need to stop meeting like this,” Kylan groaned. He slowly sat up and rubbed the back of his head.

The young Vapran princess sat beside him, “I have been looking everywhere for you!”

His face grew red, _looking everywhere…for me?_

“We can’t find Deet or Rian either,” she continued when he didn’t answer.

_Oh, of course, not just for me. _Kylan picked up his scroll and leaned it towards Brea.

“I’ve been dream-etching.”

Brea looked over his etchings in awe, “Is this all about the resistance?”

Kylan nodded. “I’ve been documenting everything since I left Sami Thicket.”

“You should share this with all the Gelfling, Kylan! I would love to read it when you’re done.”

The Song Teller was surprised by the princess’s enthusiasm for his etchings. No one had really expressed any interest in them before.

“I actually have a journal of my own,” Brea said she pulled a journal out of her sleeve and handed it to him.

Kylan had seen her with the journal before but never thought more of it.

“Is it okay if—”

“Yes, please, go ahead!”

He flipped through the first few pages and saw various symbols and drawings. They were colorful, the detailing better than any books he had ever had the chance to read. There were sketches of the Crystal Castle, clan symbols, and even Mother Aughra.

“Brea,” he paused, thinking of how to describe the sketches, “these are beautiful.”

“Thank you, my mother tasked me with being the scholar among my sisters. These were all inspired by the books I’ve read in the library of Ha’rar.”

He continued to flip through her journal, admiring all the colors Brea took to the time to incorporate. Kylan never really thought much of the princesses of the Vapra clan before he actually met them. However, he does remember some Spriton girls discussing them during clan dinners. They usually talked about how shiny their hair would be or the brilliant fabrics they would wear. But no one ever mentioned Tavra as being a fearless warrior or Brea having an interest in learning. 

“I would really like to see the library some—”

Kylan was cut off by the boisterous voice of Mother Aughra.

“Gelfing, gather around! Thra has spoken.”

He gave the journal back to Brea and quickly wrapped up his scroll. The two joined the other Gelfing, standing at the back of the group, awaiting the words of Aughra.

She stood in front of the Gelflings, her eye searching each of their faces. Kylan was confused when her eye seemed to settle on him. She raised her arm and pointed at him.

“You! The Song Teller from Sami Thicket.”

All the Gelfling turned around to face Kylan, his face turning a deep shade of red. He heard whispers from who he presumed were from Spritons. _Is that Kylan, _one asked. _What could Mother Aughra want with…him, _another said in a bewildered voice. 

“Ah, yes, Kylan the Wise. I believe that is your name,” she said, not waiting for Kylan to answer. “Thra heard your song to the All-Maudra. But there is more for you to do and you cannot do it with your firca made of wood, yes?”

Kylan looked down at the firca that was hanging around his neck. She was right, it was made of wood. His father gave it to him when he was just a childling.

“You will go to the caves of Grot and retrieve the firca of Gyr the Song Teller. His will do well, yes. The song of the Heart of Thra can sing the hollow bone from a bell-bird wing.”

_The song of the heart of Thra can sing_—_what does that even mean, _he thought. Kylan looked over to Brea, but she looked as confused as he was.

“You will understand later,” Mother Aughra said as if she could read his mind, “but this _you _must do now.”

A Gelfing from the Stonewood clan stood out in front of the clans, “with respect mother Aughra, the Stonewood clan has great song tellers that would be better suited for this task.”

“The Sifa clan also has talented song tellers,” a Sifan woman spoke up, “Gyr the Song Teller was of our clan, after all.”

Kylan chewed on his lips, embarrassed by all the attention. _They’re right, _he thought, _there must be someone better to send._

He suddenly felt a hand grasp his shoulder. Naia was standing next to him, her other hand balled up in a fist.

_Oh Naia, please don’t. _But “do not” did not exist in the Drenchen’s vocabulary when it came to her friends.

“Kylan is a fine song teller,” Naia roared, “and he’s done more for the Gelfling than any of you have!”

“Naia is right!” Brea yelled from beside him.

Gurjin spoke up too, “Yeah, Kylan could out song tell all of you other song tellers.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Gurjin.” Kylan whispered, his face growing even redder.

Mother Aughra cleared her throat, “Gelfing! Thra has spoken and we will listen.”

Maudra Argot slowly walked towards the front of the Gelflings. A tall Grottan dressed in a cloak covering most of his face followed behind. “I will send Amri to guide the Spriton,” the older Maudra announced.

Naia squeezed Kylan’s shoulder, “I will go with you as well.”

Brea put her hand on his other shoulder. “I’ve always wanted to see the Grottan caves—well not always, but I want to see them now. Deet spoke so highly of the glow moss!”

Kylan’s friends continued to speak about the journey ahead, but Kylan tuned them all out. He has never felt so small with the weight of tomorrow’s unknowns looming over him. 


	2. Into the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gelfing of the seven clans continue to celebrate their small victory over the Skeksis, while Kylan struggles to cope with the uncertainty of the journey Thra has given him.

Kylan stared into the fire before him. He was sitting alone, trying to sort out how he felt about his journey that would begin at dawn of the first sun. _Why would Thra want me to use Gyr the Song Teller’s firca? And what would I be able to do with it?_

_The name Gyr the Song Teller was familiar, but he couldn’t quite place where he had heard it before. Perhaps from one of the stories his father song told him when he was a childing, although most of the ones he remembered were about Jarra-Jen. He always wanted to be like Jarra-Jen, but how could someone who could barely lift a sword or throw a bola ever be a hero like him? He had left Sami Thicket with the goal of defeating SkekMal, but there was never a chance he’d be able to do it. If it weren’t for Naia finding him in the Spriton Plains that fateful day, he’d probably be dead by now. _

_Naia, Rian, Gurjin, Brea, Deet…they’re the heroes that Thra needs, that the Gelfling need. Not Kylan the failure. _

“I know what you’re thinking, and you need to stop that.”

Kylan looked up from the fire and saw Naia walking towards him. She took the seat on the log beside him, reaching her hands out to the fire to warm them up.

He sighed and stared back into the fire, “You should be spending time with your family, Naia.”

“My family isn’t going anywhere yet. It is you that I am worried about.”

Naia has always been able to read Kylan better than anyone he had ever met before—even better than himself sometimes. He would never be a flight risk in this situation, but she probably knew he’d be wallowing in self-doubt all night.

“We may not know what Thra has in store for us—it seems we never do—but I believe in you, Song-Teller, all of us do.”

He knew that Naia meant well, but her encouragement only made it worse. She wasn’t there when he tried to warn his clan about what the Skeksis were doing. Not one Spriton dared to dream-fast with him. They wouldn’t believe him anyway; they never did when he showed them what The Hunter did to his parents.

“You know what always makes me feel better?”

He looked back at his Drenchen friend. He warmed up a bit from her calm smile. She probably knew her previous words didn’t help.

“What’s that?” he asked.

Naia’s smile grew bigger, almost looking devious and not at all calming anymore. Kylan recognized her expression, but he had never been on the receiving end of it before. Usually, it’s reserved for Gurjin. 

“One of your songs,” she answered.

Before he had time to protest, Naia got up and jumped onto the log.

_Oh, Naia, no. Not again. _

“Gather fellow Gelfing, Kylan the Song-Teller would like to share a song!”

The noise of Gelfing celebrations subdued, all of them looking towards where Naia and Kylan stood.

“I don’t have a song to share,” he whispered.

“Sing about what you write down in that scroll of yours,” she whispered back. “Brea was telling me about it earlier!”

_Brea told Naia about it? _Kylan smiled a bit about that realization. He didn’t understand why something as small as that made him happy. He ultimately decided that was something he’d have to unpack later when he remembered that the Gelfling of the seven clans were staring at him, waiting for a song that didn’t exist yet.

The Song-Teller took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind of all his self-doubts. He brought himself back to how he felt when the Skeksis retreated from Stone-in-the-Wood. He had never been happier, being surrounded by friends and finally feeling some justice for what The Hunter did to his family.

Kylan stood on the log beside Naia, imagining the hearth he used to stand on back in Sami Thicket. He took another deep breath and let his song take control.

_The Seven clans of Thra gather here this night_

_Here in Stone-in-the-Wood standing strong and proud_

_We stood all together to end this Gelfling plight _

_Our voices were heard to uncover the Skeksis’ shroud _

_They retreated into the unknown of tomorrow_

_As we stay and celebrate beside the blue fire _

_Mourning who we lost but not with sorrow_

_They fought for this freedom and to inspire _

_A brave Stonewood castle guard shared his story_

_And that is how this very story begins _

_He revealed the tragedy he saw before his own eyes _

_And revealed the atrocious Skeksis lies_

_Not all believed for it was what they worst feared_

_That the lords they thought provide and protect_

_Would betray in such a horrible way, _

_and the guard’s hope disappeared _

_Until he found friends within the seven clan_

_A gentle Grottan, so caring and kind _

_A bold Drenchen, who never doubted _

_A clever Vapran with a beautiful mind _

_A fierce Drenchen who lit the Great Smerth fire _

_A wise Spriton who tells this very song_

_A Podling with a heart that will never tire_

_And all the others who sang along _

_Clans together after many trine_

_Led to the Skeksis retreat_

_From now on we will be united for Thra _

_No matter our fears and doubts _

_We will overcome the darkness with our fires_

_For that is what the song of Thra desires _

_What the song of Thra inspires _

Kylan brought his firca to his lips and played the melody of the last few stanzas. He always felt at peace when he played the Y-shaped instrument. It reminded Kylan of the nights his father would play the firca to help him fall asleep and the voice of his mother as she would hum along.

He also thought about the times he would play for Naia when she was feeling homesick from the Sog or when Gurjin was complaining about being bored in the lulls of their journey. The sound warmed his heart; he hoped with all he had that it also warmed the hearts of other Gelfling.

He carefully stepped down from the log when his song was finished. Naia put her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him again, looking satisfied. She was proud of herself for helping him, but even prouder of her Song-Teller.

The Gelfling cheered for Kylan for some time and then returned to their splintered groups. The Song-Teller was about to sit down again but was stopped by the sight of the Spriton Maudra. She walked with a regal force, one that could knock you over if you were in its path.

“Kylan, you’ve done well.” 

Her voice was steady and stern with a hint of warmth behind it. Maudra Mera held both of her arms out to Kylan. He hesitated at first, but then wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m sorry for not listening,” her usual steady voice began to waver, “for not even giving you a chance to be understood.”

Kylan had never heard the Spriton Maudra sound so unguarded before, “You were just trying to protect the clan.”

“I should have tried harder to protect you too. You have done something great and I know you are going to continue down that path. I will try to do better as well.”

Maudra Mera ended the embrace and smiled at the young song-teller before her. She wasn’t usually one to display emotions so forth-right, but she could not help herself with how proud she was of the young Spriton boy she raised and sadly underestimated.

“We will be heading out soon to gather the ones we left in Sami Thicket. It won’t be safe to stay there anymore with how often the Skeksis would pass by.”

She turned to Naia and continued, “Your mother was kind enough to invite the Spritons to stay in the Sog for the time-being.”

“The Drenchen will be happy to have you, Maudra Mera.”

“Thank you, Naia.” The Maudra smiled at Naia and then at Kylan one last time before returning to the rest of the Spritons.

\--

Darkness had fully fallen over the Stone-in-the-Wood as it grew more and more quiet with each goodbye. The Drenchen traveled south to the Sog with the Spritons and Grottans. The Sifans and Dousan traveled north to their respected desert and sea with the Vaprans and remaining Stonewoods.

The remaining gelfing sat around the fire, eating some broth that Kylan made from ingredients that the Stonewoods left in the village.

“So, Gurjin, where will you be traveling at dawn?” Naia asked her brother, who was currently licking the remnants of the broth from his bowl.

He inspected the bowl to make sure there was no broth remaining and set it down once he was satisfied. “We’re going to search for Rian and Deet. Mother Aughra told us they were on their own journey for Thra, but it doesn’t feel right to let them do it by themselves.”

“Gelfing always do better united, right?” Brea chimed in. 

“You’re right, Brea. That’s why I’ve asked Serin of the Dousan clan to join, as well as Onica and Freckles of the Sifa clan.”

The freckled paladin stood up from his spot on the log, “My name is actually—”

“We’ll be able to find Deet and Rian in no time!” Gurjin exclaimed, interrupting the Sifan Paladin. The Paladin sighed and sat back down.

“You should take the crystal shard with you,” Brea said, taking the shard out of her pocket, “I have this feeling that Thra wants Rian and Deet to have it.”

The Vapran princess tore some fabric from her sleeve and wrapped it around the crystal. She handed it to Onica, who was sitting beside her.

“I will protect it with my life, princess.” The Sifan vowed.

Brea smiled softly at the older gelfling. She knew Tavra would have trusted her own life with Onica too. How she wished her sister could have sailed off with the Sifan trines ago instead of meeting the fate she did.

“We should get some rest, everyone. I’ll take the first watch.”

The new voice came from the Grottan named Amri. This was the first time Kylan had heard the Grottan speak. He had kept to himself for the first part, aside from talking to Naia a bit earlier. The hood of his cloak was off his head, revealing his silver hair. If it weren’t for his dark eyes, Kylan would have thought he was a Vapra.

“I’ll take the second watch,” the Sifan Paladin volunteered.

Gurjin, Serin, Onica, Naia, and Brea also claimed their watch, leaving Kylan with the last before Dawn.

It would give him time to mentally prepare himself for the journey and to enjoy the sight of the first brother rising over a new Thra. 

The Gelfling each found a place to nest down for the night around the fire. Kylan settled into a spot between Gurjin and Brea. He was starting to get used to sleeping on the hard ground; it didn’t seem so bad when he had the comfort of friends around him. The Stonewood guards offered their clan’s huts to the group, but it didn’t feel right to occupy those unwillingly abandoned spaces.

“Hey, Kylan?”

The Spriton turned his head towards the Vapran princess. She was also laying on her back, her silver hair fanning out beneath her like a ghostly aura. “Yes, Brea?”

“Your song was beautiful,” she smiled softly at the song-teller, “I hope to hear many more.”

Her words flew through Kylan’s ears and straight into his stomach, each letter seeming to turn into an unamoth. It was a strange feeling; one he had never felt before. It made him feel a little nauseous, but also excited and warm all over.

“Me too, Brea.”

His words were true. He hoped with all his heart that he could song-tell for the Vapran princess and all his friends for many trine to come.

Kylan turned his head back to the stars. He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, letting the uncertainties of his journey wait for tomorrow.


End file.
